


Enchanted Evening

by orphan_account



Series: Enchanted Worlds [18]
Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-11 07:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ahiru and Fakir go on their first date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Enchanted Evening

" _Ahiru!_ "

Ahiru nearly jumped out of her seat, but somehow managed to avoid it. "Eh? Wh-what?" She had a good idea of just what the problem was, however, despite having been lost in thought as she stared out the window.

" _Stop squirming_." Rue's eyes as they met hers in the mirror were as stern as she'd ever seen them. "I know it must be boring to have to just sit here while I do your hair, but you've _got_ to stop fidgeting and be still, or else it'll take longer when you mess me up and I have to redo something, and then you'll be late. Do you want that?"

"Eeeeeee! N-no! I'll sit still, I promise!" Ahiru averted her gaze from Rue's. "S-sorry… I - I know it makes it harder on you, I don't mean to do that, it's just… I'm just so excited that it makes it tough to not move around…"

"I know." Rue's expression softened. Ahiru was a little bundle of energy most of the time as it was, and with her first date on the immediate horizon it was no wonder she was having trouble containing herself. "I know how excited you are, and I understand. That's why I don't want you to be late, I don't want anything to spoil tonight for you."

"I know. Th-thank you." Ahiru dared a glance up, a shy smile on her face. "I - I still can't believe it, kinda… I'm actually going on a date with Fakir…!"

"Indeed, I too had begun to think it would never happen." Rue resumed working on Ahiru's hair. "But somehow you two managed to get things out in the open, _finally_ , and you can do this at long last. If you'd just paid attention, though, you could've gone on this date much sooner."

"Y-yeah, we were pretty silly, weren't we?" Ahiru blushed and giggled. "It was just like you said, and you'd _told_ me you thought he had feelings for me, but I was still so surprised when he said he loved me…"

"That's understandable, though. It's one thing to hear someone else's suspicions, especially when you're unsure of what _you're_ seeing, and another one entirely to actually have them confirmed. And Fakir being the way he is about things he wants to hide, it's no wonder you were so unsure of yourself." Rue let go of Ahiru's hair for a moment so she could squeeze her shoulder. "I'm really proud of you for telling him. That was very brave of you."

"Th-thanks." Ahiru blushed again. "I-it was really scary, cause even though you'd said you thought he felt that way, I didn't know for sure at all, like you said just now, and I thought he'd reject me and tell me he saw me as a sister or something, but he didn't, and now…" Ahiru wanted to swing her legs back and forth, but she had a feeling that would make Rue mad, so she settled for wiggling her toes. "Oh, Rue, he makes me so happy… I really love him lots and lots…"

"I can tell." Rue smiled as she met Ahiru's eyes again. "And I can also tell that he loves you just as much. He may not be as open as you are, but I can see it in the way he acts around you."

"Y-yeah, I know he does." Ahiru's expression became a dreamy smile as she recalled the sweet ways in which he'd displayed his affections for her in private. "And it’s so… I mean… when I first came to this castle I was so scared of everything, and I thought he was really intimidating and kinda rude, but then… wow, who would've thought we'd end up like this?"

"I can't say that I saw it coming either," Rue admitted. "Well, I _could_ , but I'd be lying. I didn't see it until it was already happening and even then it took me by surprise a bit. Only because I hadn't been able to picture Fakir falling in love at _all_ , you understand, not because of anything to do with you specifically," she added. "With his personality and the way he distances himself from most people, it didn't occur to me that he'd ever do that."

"Y-yeah… I understand that…" Ahiru looked down at her lap, and smoothed out some of her dress. It was a new one she'd bought specially for the occasion last Sunday; she and Rue had gone down to Gold Crown to shop for an outfit for their first date and Rue had helped her pick it out. It was a pretty shade of blue that matched her eyes, with a sparkly, gauzy skirt reminiscent of a tutu. Rue had also painted her nails with a shiny, pearlescent white polish before starting on her hair, and it contrasted nicely with the dress. "He's not really… I mean… I thought he was rude and mean and that he didn't like me, but that wasn't it… he was just afraid I wouldn't like him, cause… cause of… how he came to the castle and all." She bit her lip. "I - I don't know how much he's told you about that…"

"I know how it happened, but not many of the details. Except that he blames himself," Rue said quietly. "He doesn't talk about it with me, and I don't try to get him to, because I know how painful a subject it is for him. I knew without asking that it was why he reacted badly to your mishap in class that day, and so I told him that he owed you an apology and a partial explanation at the very least - not as an excuse, but so that you'd understand it wasn't all about you and not feel so bad. I said that he didn't have to tell you everything, but letting you know some of the basic details, that he'd lost his family that way and been there at the time, would help with explaining it. To his credit, he agreed with me."

"Y-yeah, he… he told me everything. Not all at once, he told me some stuff later, on the anniversary, but… he told me lots, and I understand why he acted all cold to me at first when I moved in here. I - I know now what he's really like, though." Ahiru brightened. "Cause after he told me that stuff that day we started becoming friends and I got to see how kind and warm he really is on the inside and I just…" She couldn't help giggling again, and wiggled her toes some more inside her shoes. "I - I couldn't help feeling this way about him…"

"And I'm sure he couldn’t help falling for you too." Rue smiled as Ahiru blushed again. "Don't even protest that, you're a sweet and wonderful person and whatever else I can say about him, he's no fool and can see that for himself. And speaking of seeing - sort of - I'm done with your hair, so take a look."

"Oh… wow…" Ahiru stared at herself in the mirror. Rue had put her hair in a braided bun, with a blue ribbon that matched her dress woven into it and tied into a floppy bow that hung down at the bottom of her hair. She'd also stuck in the hair pin Fakir had given her for her birthday, the chalcedony star on full display. "It… it's so pretty! You did such a good job, Rue!"

"Thank you. Though I can't take all the credit, because I was working with something that's already lovely." She moved to pick up a couple things from the vanity table as Ahiru blushed again. "And now I'll do a little makeup for you before you go, just a bit to highlight those pretty eyes of yours."

Ahiru didn't need to be told to hold still as Rue came at her with the eye make-up. "Y-you don't think I need anything else, like blush or anything?"

"With the way you two act around each other? No, I think not - you'll be blushing plenty on your own and won't need any help to make your cheeks pink." Rue laughed."The two of you barely last five minutes around each other without one or both of you turning the color of cotton candy. And that's me being generous. Don't worry, though," she added, "I think it's cute. Especially since no one's ever been able to make Fakir blush the way you do. Don't ever doubt that he's completely smitten with you."

"Eeeeeee…" Ahiru clasped her hands together and let out a happy little giggle. She felt warm all over now at Rue's words.

"And a little bit of this new gloss you got…" Rue said, half to herself, as she finished with Ahiru's eyes and cupped her chin so she could apply a touch of color and shine to her lips. "There! Perfect!" She let go of Ahiru's face and stepped back so she could admire her reflection in the mirror. "You’re all ready to go now."

"Wow…" Ahiru said again as she looked at herself. The effects were subtle, but good, and she liked how it looked. "I-it looks great."

" _You_ look great," Rue corrected her as she pulled her up out of the chair. "Gorgeous, in fact. Fakir won't be able to take his eyes off you… well, more than usual, that is." She winked.

Ahiru blushed again. "I - I don't think - he doesn't stare at me _that_ much…"

"Yes he does, especially now that he doesn't have to hide it so much anymore." Rue laughed and ushered her over to the door. "Now go - go blow his mind and have a good time!"

"Eeeeee! Okay!" Ahiru giggled again, and paused only to smooth down her dress one more time before hurrying down to meet Fakir. He'd agreed to wait for her by the entrance to the castle that they always used, and they were going to walk down to the village together for their date.

He was already there when she got downstairs, and spotted her even before she saw him. His jaw dropped at the sight of her. "Ahiru…"

"Fakir!" Ahiru beamed as she rushed over to him, her heart fluttering at how handsome he looked in his nice clothes, his hair tied back with the ribbon she'd made him for his birthday. He used it every day, it was true, but it somehow seemed even more special now. "S-sorry if I'm late, it took Rue a little longer cause I kept fidgeting cause I was so excited… but I'm here now and I'm ready!"

"It's fine. You're not late. You…" Fakir swallowed. "You look beautiful. I mean… you _are_ beautiful. A-and not -  not just right now, all the…" His stumbling words were interrupted by Ahiru leaning up on her toes and kissing him; when she pulled back, his blush had intensified. "What was that for?"

"Cause I love you." Ahiru smiled up at him. "A-and cause of what you said."

He reached out a trembling hand to touch her cheek. "I - I mean it."

"I - I know. I know you do." Ahiru was blushing too now.  She knew he loved her and that he liked kissing her and he looked at her a lot, but it was still nice to hear him actually _say_ that he thought she was pretty. "I know you wouldn't say something like that and not really think it."

"No, I wouldn't… I…" Fakir cleared his throat. "Do - do you want to go now?"

"Oh! Yes!" Ahiru practically bounced up and down on her feet. "Of course!"

They set off towards the door, and had just barely gotten outside when Fakir reached out and took Ahiru's hand in his. She glanced up at him, and he swallowed. "Is - is this all right?"

"Of course it is!" Ahiru squeezed his hand as confirmation, and smiled shyly at him. "I - I love holding hands with you…"

Fakir didn't say anything, but he squeezed her hand too, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he loved it as much as she did. They held hands all the way down to the village, and let go only when they got to the little German restaurant they'd chosen to have dinner at when they discussed this date. He opened the door for her, and she all but skipped inside. Fakir confirmed their reservation at the front and they were swiftly shown to a little booth and given menus, with the promise that their server would be right with them.

Ahiru slid into one side of the booth, and to her surprise Fakir sat down right next to her. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked softly. "I'm so used to sitting next to you…"

"Not at all!" She shook her head. "I - I'm used to sitting next to you too, I like being close to you…"

Fakir smiled. "That's good."

They pored over the menu for a while, and Ahiru apologized profusely when she had to ask their server for five more minutes to decide; Fakir affectionately called her an idiot and told her it was okay to take her time. At last she chose something, and so did he, and as soon as the server turned her back to take their orders to the kitchen they both reached for each other's hands under the table.

"S-sorry." Ahiru blushed. Their hands had bumped, because they'd reached for each other at the same time.

"It's fine." Fakir smiled at her and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "I don't mind."

She smiled back at him, and squeezed his hand. "I - I'm so happy to be here with you," Ahiru confessed. "I - I've been thinking about it for days and I was so excited I could barely sleep last night and I've just been so antsy all day today… h-have you been excited too?"

Fakir nodded. "Yeah." He recalled what she'd said back in the castle hall: that she'd been so excited she couldn't sit still while Rue did her hair. It wasn't really a surprise that Ahiru had that level of energy, but still… it was taking some getting used to, the idea of her being so overjoyed about being on a date with _him_. About their being together like this. It felt good, of course, but it was still so overwhelming. He felt overwhelmed just looking at her, really. He could still hardly believe that she loved him the way he loved her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"W-well, I - I don't know." Ahiru blushed and looked down at their entwined hands. "I-it's possible you could be less excited about it than I am…"

"Never. I…" Fakir shook his head. "I know I'm not very good at showing it, but… I feel exactly the same way you do. I'm just as happy about this - about us - as you are."

"I know." Ahiru smiled. "I know you are, and I don't mind that you're the way you are about showing stuff, I understand. And you're better than you think you are, I can tell lots of stuff about you now. S-so, please understand, when… when I say that stuff, it's not cause I doubt how you feel, it's that… well…" She glanced away again, at the table this time. "It's not about you, it's about me… I'm just not used to this at all, I never thought… I didn't think _anyone_ would feel this way about me, _ever_ …"

"I know." He squeezed her hand again. "I know what you think of yourself. That's… why I wish I could be better at showing you what _I_ think of you. I'm sorry. You deserve better."

"No, Fakir, oh no, you don't have to apologize for that!" Ahiru shook her head and looked back up at him with wide eyes. "Don't say that! It - it's not like that. I - I know you think really highly of me, you've said so many kind things to me and you've always believed in me and supported me and I can see it in the things you do, too, and that makes me really happy… I just have to start believing nice things about myself on my own. It - it's not your responsibility."

"I know it's not, and I'm not going to try and make it that. I just…" He sighed. "I want to be able to show you that you're loved," he said, his voice dropping to a lower volume at the end of the sentence. "Because you deserve to know that."

"I do." Ahiru smiled. "I do know that, really. Don't worry about it. An-and even if it's hard for you, you can always practice and get better, and - and we haven't even been together for two weeks yet anyway. Don't worry."

Fakir smiled, and reached over with his free hand to brush some of her hair out of her eyes, making her blush again. "I'll try not to."

"Good."

Their food arrived soon after that, at which point they finally let go of each other's hands again. By the time they finished eating the sun had just begun to sink a bit low in the sky, and Ahiru paused to admire the splash of bright colors the impending sunset was already creating. When she was ready to move on Fakir took her hand once more as they set off towards Evergreen Park for the second part of their date.

"Wow, it's so pretty here in the spring…" Ahiru gazed wonderingly around at the flowers and crisp green grass blanketing the park. "I mean, it was pretty in the winter too, but now it's really really nice…"

"Yeah." Fakir rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Ahiru?"

"What?" She turned to look up at him.

"Are you… having a good time?"

"Of course!" She beamed up at him. "A-are you?"

"Yeah." Fakir smiled softly. "I just wanted to make sure you were too."

"Silly." Ahiru giggled. "You don't need to worry about _that_ , either."

They walked along in contented near-silence after that, speaking only when Ahiru spotted something that delighted her and babbled to Fakir about it. He didn't say much in response, but he was happy just to listen to her, to see _her_ so happy.

Their destination was the space near the heart of the park that was an outdoor theater in spring and summer. A stage had been set up, and all around it people were sitting on blankets or the grass, waiting for the performance to begin. Ahiru produced the tickets they had bought from her bag, and then Fakir helped her set up the blanket she'd brought. She was using the bag that Chrestomanci had given her, and it was already proving its worth by easily storing a larger and thicker blanket than it looked like it should've been able to.

"I'm glad we got here in time," Ahiru said as she sat down on the blanket. "I - I was afraid we weren't going to make it, cause I took so long getting ready and then I took a while to choose what I wanted to eat and everything…"

"Yeah, you didn't need to worry." Fakir sat down beside her. "And we won't have to wait long by the looks of it, which is good."

"That's true," Ahiru admitted. "I wouldn't really want to sit here that long waiting, it'd be kind of boring."

"Exactly. See? It's fine." Fakir hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively slipped his arm around her.

"Eeeeeee…" Ahiru blushed and giggled, even as she snuggled closer to him. "Th-this is nice… I really like this…"

Fakir looked down at the joyful expression on her face, and smiled. "So do I."

Ahiru's eyes lit up, and she opened her mouth to respond, but just then music started playing, signifying the beginning of the play, and so she fell silent. She watched in awe, her hands clasped together and her head resting ever so slightly on Fakir's shoulder as he continued to hold her. They stole glances at each other from time to time, though, and more than once did so at the same moment, provoking more smiling and blushing. At some point during the performance, one of Ahiru's hands ended up on Fakir's leg, and after a while he took her hand in his free one. Ahiru looked over at him as he did, and then blushed so deeply she felt like her face must've been glowing in the dark when he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand, and then another one to her fingers. He heard her tiny gasp even over the voices of the actors onstage and, still holding her hand, leaned forward to nuzzle her temple and then kiss it. She trembled and made a happy noise low in her throat, and he squeezed her hand in response.

The stars were out by the time the play finished, casting a soft glow over the park. Fakir helped Ahiru carefully fold up the blanket and put it back in her bag, and then they walked off hand in hand towards the entrance. Just before they got there, though, Ahiru tugged on his hand, and pulled him into the shadow of a few evergreen trees. They could barely see each other, and that let Fakir know what she had in mind even before her lips met his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her off her feet and held her close, one of his hands sliding up her back to cradle the back of her head as they kissed.

It didn't last long, though, before Fakir broke it off and let her down. "Let's - let's go home," he whispered breathlessly. "I want to do this where I can see your face."

"Oh, me too!" Ahiru agreed, seizing his hand again. "I - I want to see you too, I just - I felt like I really needed to kiss you right now, is all." She blushed.

Fakir smiled, and rubbed her palm. "I understand."

The castle was dark and quiet when they got back; everyone had already stopped working for the day, and so they didn't see anyone on the way to their rooms. They walked past Fakir's door and down the hall to Ahiru's.

"I - I had a wonderful time tonight," Ahiru said shyly as she let go of Fakir's hand. "Th-thank you so much, Fakir…"

"You're welcome… though I feel like I should be thanking _you_." Fakir lifted his hand to touch her cheek as she blushed. "I had a wonderful time as well, because of you. Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome, it - it was my pleasure." She smiled back at him. "I - I almost don't want it to end… I mean, I know we're going to have fun tomorrow too, and every day after that, but this is the first one so it's extra special and I want it to last longer. You know?"

"Yeah."

"I think this is a nice way for it to end, though, if it has to." Ahiru moved closer to him, and he bent down to meet her as she leaned up on her toes again to kiss him. She cupped the back of his neck with one of her hands, the other resting on his chest, and he supported her with his arms around her waist, lifting her off the floor a little.

"This is much better," Fakir murmured as they parted for air. "Being able to look at you, that is." He traced a finger down her cheek again, and she blushed.

"Y-yeah, I agree." She kissed his cheek. "I - I like looking at you too. I - I hope you know that."

"Mmmm." He touched his lips to hers again, and felt her sigh and press closer. There was something of - not quite desperation, but close, a raw, aching need - to the way they kissed each other, as if they were trying to make up for the months in which they could have and should have been kissing but hadn't.

They kept up that pattern for several minutes, pulling apart only briefly between kisses to catch their breath and smile at each other, until Ahiru finally sighed and spoke with reluctance in her voice. "I - I guess we better go to bed now… I don't wanna but I'm getting kinda tired. Sorry…"

"That's nothing to apologize for." Fakir shook his head. "Don't worry. Just get some sleep and we'll see each other in the morning." He let her down and took one of her hands and squeezed it. "It's fine."

"O-okay." Ahiru rubbed at her eyes with her free hand and yawned. "I - I'll see you tomorrow, then. Night."

"Goodnight, Ahiru." Fakir smiled and stroked her cheek before giving her another quick, light kiss. "I love you."

"G-goodnight, Fakir." Ahiru beamed and stood up on her toes to give him another kiss of her own. "I love you too."

They shared one last, lingering goodnight kiss, and then Ahiru finally went into her room to get ready for bed. She moved around in a daze, feeling like she was floating instead of walking, her mind full of all the wonderful things she had experienced that evening. Despite how tired she felt she wanted to stay awake a while in the dark to think about everything, but ended up falling asleep more quickly than she intended. She held her duck pillow tightly as she slept, and in her dreams she held Fakir and relived their magical first date.


End file.
